The Art of Travel

Inevitable comparisons to "Motorcycle Diaries". Yes, there is a difficult trek through Central and South America. But that's pretty much where the similarities end.

The Motorcycle Diaries succeeded because Che is a compelling character, not a fresh-out- of-high-school kid with a vindictive sense of humor. There is no self-discovery in this film; no greater themes (populism, for example, in MD).

The main character in this film simply realizes he likes running away from his seemingly-cool family and being a man-child with no responsibilities. He's the embodiment of every guy in a midlife crisis who still wants to do "something really cool" with his life, to get away from it all, with a threesome in a Nicaraguan hotel thrown in for good measure.

I will say that I laughed at certain points in this movie. The supporting characters are much more entertaining (not to say that Masterson was bad in the role; it's just not a very good role). But halfway through, when I started groaning and rolling my eyes more than laughing, it became less and less worth standing in line at the Philly Film Festival for.

I'm reviewing this movie nearly 5 years after I saw it, so bear with me. "Why bother," you ask? Because 5 years later I'm still hard pressed to come up with a movie like it.

A real gem, though not necessarily everyone's cup of tea, "The Art of Travel" will appeal to those of you wanderlusting souls who can enjoy adventures in the simple act of getting on a plane and going somewhere new. There are no car chases, bank heists or torrid love affairs with hot supermodels. But since when have any of you experienced any of that? (If you have, then why the heck are you watching movies like the rest of us schmoes??)

Actually the story does contain some heavy action & suspense, possibly some good old Central American gunfire, but that's not intended to be the focus. On the contrary, life without hair-raising thrills can be every bit as adventurous and fun, and "The Art of Travel" shows us precisely that. I highly recommend it to young people who plan on traveling the world, as well as older folks who have never had the opportunity. This film awakens the adventurer in all of us. And don't get me wrong; it's certainly not boring. Like any good trip to a foreign land, every minute is packed with the unexpected. Hats off to the filmmakers for bringing the unique magic of travel into our living rooms.

I totally understood what the director/producers were trying to do with this film. But most of it was not true to real life. The casting was strange, it seemed they cast two Latin actors and one Latina in the principal roles, and made them out to be from the US and Prague. Where did Connor get all the money to do this traveling? I did allot of adventure travel when I was his age and it's not free! My guess is that they got really good tax credits from Peru, Nicargua, Panama,and Bolivia. Where did the funds come from for this type of film? Not one A list actor. But that's a good thing. I liked the fact that it was not a Hollywood movie. All in all I enjoyed it, and it made me want to travel again.

One of the better entries at Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California. It kept me entertained throughout and also dealt with some consistently fascinating themes such as coming-of-age, maturity, personal growth, and freedom. The cinematography was beautiful, some breath-taking shots of the jungle, and yet always somehow managing to make us feel as claustrophobic and trapped as the characters we followed. A problem many independent films seem to run into is introducing something and then not tying it up, but The Art of Travel wrapped everything up and wrapped it up well, in compliance with both the story and believable character arcs. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was able to see "The Art of Travel" during a private screening for the cast and crew at Fox Studios. I had no idea what this film would be about because the title suggests it might be a documentary. I was very surprised that it was actually a feature film and it hooked me within the first ten minutes! I could really relate to this movie because my family is from South America and I have traveled with them to many different countries. Sometimes as Americans we don't realize all the beauty that exists outside our country. I liked that this film sent a message to get out there and educate ourselves not by just watching the local news but by actually experiencing different cultures and places by traveling. Great movie!